Ned Cooper

Ned Cooper

Research Affiliate

Ned Cooper is a PhD candidate at the College of Engineering, Computing, and Cybernetics at the Australian National University. His research lies at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Responsible AI, with a specific focus on participatory machine learning. His thesis aims to contribute to the growing field of participatory ML by critically examining existing approaches and proposing new methodologies grounded in HCI principles.

During his PhD, he worked as a Student Researcher at Google Research, where he explored techniques for improving speech and language technologies for 'low-resource' / underserved languages, specifically focusing on Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. He also collaborated with the People + AI Research team at Google, investigating the application of community-based participatory research methods to machine learning development.

Ned’s research interests are informed by his experience as a human rights lawyer with the Aboriginal Legal Service in Australia, where he worked on criminal defense cases, and with Transparency International in Guatemala, where he focused on anti-corruption efforts and election monitoring. Additionally, he worked in strategy and policy roles for five years, including projects related to broadband networks at NBN Co and various initiatives in Australia and the UK with Nous Group.